I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Moto Guzzi Stelvio custom before. And this is no half-hearted attempt: the big adventure tourer from Mandello del Lario has been transformed into a pseudo-motard powerhouse. It’s not the look you generally associate with a custom from Officine RossoPuro’s Filippo Barbacane—but on the other hand, it’s the sort of bike Guzzi could build themselves. And I’m pretty sure there’d be a market for it. The visual heart of ‘Motard One’ is the Stelvio’s V-twin ‘quattrovalvole’ motor, which has been boosted from 1151 to 1420 cc and delivers 140 hp to the back wheel.
It’s a ‘Big Bore’ engine built by the tuners Millepercento (and is reportedly the most powerful big block Guzzi motor on the market). There’s a new race-spec FRAM Corse radiator to help with cooling, and the custom exhaust pipework—built by Barbacane himself—terminates neatly underneath the bike. The brake system has been upgraded with selected Brembo components. The standard 50 mm Marzocchi fork would be difficult to improve upon, so it’s been left alone—but an Extreme Tech shock now handles suspension duties at the back. New Officine RossoPuro triple trees tighten up the front end and Marchesini wheels keep things looking sharp. The rear part of the frame has been completely revised and the minimal, beautifully-finished bodywork is custom-made.
It looks like a helluva lot of fun to me. If Moto Guzzi added this machine to its catalog, would you be tempted to buy one?
